• Suboptimal accommodation capacity restricting revenue potential and market penetration
• The absence of family-oriented accommodation configurations limits access to a lucrative market segment.
• Lack of integrated wellness, conference, and recreational facilities reducing guest retention metrics and average stay duration
• Inadequate water infrastructure compromising operational efficiency and sustainability
• Substandard access roads negatively impact guest experience and vehicle maintenance costs.
• Insufficient revenue diversification creates vulnerability to tourism market fluctuations and economic cycles.
• Limited employment opportunities for local community members within the formal economy
• Need for commercially viable, ecologically sustainable alternatives to conventional land use in biodiversity-rich areas.

Makhasa Private Game Lodge proposes a comprehensive capital expansion and infrastructure enhancement programme to address the identified challenges through a strategic phased implementation approach:

• Construction of four luxury family accommodation units to increase capacity and penetrate the high-value family tourism market segment
• Development of a bespoke wellness spa centre with multiple treatment rooms, relaxation areas and Indigenous treatment offerings
• Establishment of a multipurpose conference venue with capacity for up to 40 delegates with state-of-the-art facilities
• Integration of premium fitness facilities and recreational amenities to enhance guest experience
• Substantial upgrade of water infrastructure systems to ensure operational resilience and sustainability
• Comprehensive renovation of access roads to enhance guest arrival experience and operational efficiency
  
  

The lodge will continue its core business of providing premium all-inclusive luxury safari experiences within a prestigious Big 5 game reserve, strategically enhanced with complementary facilities designed to extend average guest stay duration and substantially increase revenue per guest. The community-ownership model will remain the foundational element of operations, ensuring sustainable economic benefits flow directly to local community stakeholders.

• Preservation and protection of pristine natural habitats within a formally protected 30,000-hectare Big 5 game reserve ecosystem
• Conservation of the rare and critically endangered Sand Forest ecosystem, recognised as a biodiversity asset of global significance
• Strategic contribution to the regional wildlife corridor established through the incorporation of Makhasa Nature Reserve within the broader Munyawana Conservancy framework
• Implementation of comprehensive wildlife monitoring and protection programmes in partnership with recognised conservation authorities
• Material support for targeted conservation initiatives protecting priority species, including black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, cheetah, lion, and pangolin populations
• Development and delivery of integrated environmental education programmes for both guests and staff
• Systematic alien invasive plant species removal and habitat restoration initiatives
• Maintenance of ecological integrity within a globally significant biodiversity hotspot
• Protection of critical water resources, including tributaries that feed into nationally significant wetland systems

1. Economic Development:

• Substantial increase in lodge revenue by approximately 65% within a 36-month period post-implementation
• Creation of 15-20 additional permanent positions exclusively for local community members
• Significantly expanded skills development programme capacity with specialised roles in wellness therapy, events management, and technical maintenance
• Measurably strengthened local supply chain through increased procurement volume and supplier development initiatives
• Enhanced economic diversification beyond traditional livelihoods, creating resilience within the local economy

2. Job Creation:

• 15-20 new permanent positions strategically created within the lodge operations across multiple departments
• Additional 5-7 skilled and semi-skilled positions during the construction and development phase
• Substantial indirect job creation through increased procurement from local suppliers and service providers
• Expanded skills development programme with 5 additional trainee positions focused on youth development
• Creation of career advancement pathways in tourism, conservation and hospitality management

3. Conservation:

• Significantly increased revenue supporting enhanced conservation initiatives and ecosystem management.
• Implementation of improved environmental education facilities for guests, staff and community members
• Development of water conservation infrastructure with broad benefits for the surrounding ecosystem
• Enhanced protection of biodiversity through a demonstrably sustainable tourism model
• Measurably strengthened community commitment to conservation principles through direct economic benefits.

• Critical water security challenges requiring substantial infrastructure investment for long-term sustainability
• Substandard road access infrastructure requiring comprehensive improvements
• Intensifying competition from nearby reserves and lodges requiring strategic market differentiation
• Potential economic downturn affecting domestic and international tourism spending patterns
• Climate change impacts affecting wildlife viewing conditions and seasonal patterns
• Accelerated degradation of infrastructure due to environmental conditions
• Wildlife management challenges requiring specialised expertise and resources
• Suboptimal revenue structure with disproportionate fees currently allocated to &Beyond Phinda for game drive services

The funding support required is outlined in the following strategic capital allocation framework:

Makhasa Private Game Lodge is strategically situated within the Munyawana Conservancy, a formally protected 30,000-hectare nature reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, officially designated under South Africa's National Environmental Management Act. The conservancy shares a boundary with the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site of international significance. This exceptional location positions Makhasa within one of South Africa's most ecologically valuable biodiversity hotspots spanning the southern Lebombo Mountain Range, which contains critically important sand forest habitats classified as exceptionally rare. The area supports the complete complement of Big 5 wildlife populations and hosts over 436 documented bird species across seven distinct habitat types, establishing it as an area of exceptional biodiversity richness and conservation significance.

The Makhasa community's strategic decision to maintain their ancestral land as an integral part of the Munyawana Conservancy following their successful land restitution claim actively supports the continued protection of this critical habitat. Rather than pursuing conventional land conversion to alternative economic uses, the community has deliberately chosen to develop a sustainable tourism model that maintains and enhances the area's ecological integrity. The project significantly strengthens the economic case for conservation by demonstrating conclusively that protected areas can generate sustainable livelihoods and substantial community benefits when managed with a disciplined focus on biodiversity conservation principles.

2000 Hectares

KwaZulu-Natal

KameelKop is located close to the well-known Nambiti Big 5 Private Game Reserve near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal.  

A community of approximately 600 kraals previously lived on the site but were forcibly removed from the site 54 years ago.  The site was then run as a successful game farm/livestock ranch before being returned to the community following a formal restitution process some 15 years ago.  At this point, the community decided to retain the property as a game farm and to re-settle on other areas included in their restitution claim.  

Since then the reserve has been managed as a game farm, with hunting being the main income stream.   As such, there is an urgent need to start generating profits from the farm which have been earmarked for building a creche whilst future needs include investments in boreholes, solar panels & food gardens.

The community seeks to partner with investors in building capacity to provide high-quality service to their hunting and tourism customers. The proposed regenerative commercial livestock farming & conservation model at Kameelkop will boost throughput & complement the current game meat, droëwors and biltong processing operations.

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26000 Hectares

KwaZulu-Natal

Activities

Big 5 Game Reserve used for Game safaris and hunting activities.
Unprocessed game meat is sold at farm gate.

Activities

The Site operational 6-unit lodge facilities with 12 beds, and camping facilities.
Birding, walking trails, and hiking are available.

The site is a BIG-5 game reserve offering a wide range of wildlife species (including, elephants, rhino, lions, leopards, buffalo, eland, kudu, gemsbok, waterbuck, wildebeest, impala and wild dog). Trophy and Biltong hunting are the major business activity, with the hunters also patronising accommodation and hospitality services offered through the 12-bed lodge and camping facility. Birding, walking trails, and hiking are also popular.

The Site has endangered species such as the wild dog, under a special protection program, with considerable investment being made into game stocking and fencing over the years and more game donations are still being canvassed.

At least 10% of all tourism revenue from the reserve, is transferred to the Gumbi community of approximately 20,000 people through the ECT, which allocates the funds for schools, creches,

clinics, cattle dipping programmes, and small-business opportunities.

The reserve currently employs 52 people from the community, all on short-term contracts, for such activities as alien bush clearing, are taken up by the community. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment also funds salaries of game guards through its Environmental Monitors Programme.Unprocessed game meat is currently sold at the farm-gate, at significantly lower unit prices than the retail market prices for processed and packaged game meat. Great potential for revenue growth and community development lies in the development of a through-put abattoir with distribution linkages at the retail end.

An old butchery with cold room facilities requiring upgrade and restoration exists at the site and can potentially be converted into a game meat processing plant with dual capacity to process both game meat and beef (and perhaps other commercial livestock), in order to optimise capacity utilisation.

Taxidermy, tanning and crafting of leather products are natural offshoot businesses that have been considered.

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